Microbial Ecology

Requirements for Ecology students who wish to pursue the option in microbial ecology

Overview

The Microbial Ecology option addresses the structure, function, and interactions of microbial populations and communities, both within plant and animal hosts and in diverse environmental samples (soils, sediments, water). Training in the area of microbial ecology can help students get jobs in academia, government, and industry.

Graduation in the Microbial Ecology Option for the MS and PhD in Ecology will document the student's preparation and competence to contribute to this increasingly important area of science.

Requirements for the MS or PhD Degree in Ecology with Microbial Ecology Option

Students working toward the Microbial Ecology Option will select two required courses from the following list:

MICRB 401 Microbial Physiology and Structure (3)
MICRB 416 Microbial Biotechnology (3)
SOILS 512 Environmental Soil Microbiology (3)
PPEM 440 Introduction to Microbiome Analysis (3) 

In addition, two courses (at least 6 credits) are required from this list of Microbial Ecology courses:

BIOL/PPEM 425 Biology of Fungi (4)
BMB/MICRB 450 Microbial/Molecular Genetics (2)
CE 479 Environmental Pollution Microbiology for Engineers (3)
FDSC 526 Microbial Physiology of Foodborne Organisms (3)
GEOSC 409W Geomicrobiology (3)
GEOSC 502 Evolution of the Biosphere (4)
MCIBS 593 Molecular Biology Laboratory (3)
PPATH 533 - Molecular Genetics of Plant-Pathogen Interactions (3)
PPEM 454 Virus Ecology (3)
PPEM 456 From the Tame to the Wild: The Environments and Ecologies of Microbes (3)
SOILS/CE/GEOSC 536 Topics in Biogeochemistry (2)